TIME MACHINES

WHO CAN FORGET the child’s dreamlike pleasure of getting on a bicycle and escaping the boundaries--the shackles--of parents and home? Freed from cares and worries, we became masters of the universe, road warriors in absolute command of our lives, our destinies.

For those of a certain age, these memories are not of skinny, soulless 10-speeds or banana-seat minibikes: Once upon a time there were bicycles that could take you on a real ride--streamlined beauties that were a vision to behold, two-wheeled fantasy machines with lush curves, a rolling paean to the best of American design. Garnished with Art Deco accessories ranging from speedometers to fake motorcycle gas tanks or outfitted with gizmos that recalled your favorite movie characters, they were as solid as a Chrysler Airflow and just as classy.

Bicycle collector Steven D. Thomas wouldn’t trade his obsession--his passion--for anything else. The 43-year-old Pasadena resident has accumulated more than 50 of the two-wheeled machines he fondly refers to as “functional art.” Thomas began collecting bikes after he graduated from high school, eventually turning to classic bikes made in the years 1936 through 1965. His greatest find is a 1955 Huffy Radio bike. His current goal is to locate a Shelby Airflo and an Elgin Bluebird, both from the late ‘30s, the most “airstreamed and expensive of their era.”

Unlike many collectors, Thomas rides his bikes, putting what he calls “serious” miles on them, taking a different bike out each time. “If I couldn’t ride the bikes, I wouldn’t have as many as I do. I love to have people see them; these bicycles bring back fond memories. I get a lot of pleased smiles.”

Bicycles courtesy of Steven D. Thomas